[Software Engineering Daily]

Episode: Building an Open-Source Laptop with Byron Huang
Date: November 11, 2025
Host: Gregor Vand
Guest: Byron Huang

Overview

This episode features Byron Huang, a high school student and full stack developer, who gained significant attention in the tech community after building "anyoneE" (pronounced "anyone"), a highly integrated, open-source laptop from scratch. Byron’s journey, technical decisions, and the philosophy behind open, repairable hardware are at the core of the discussion. The conversation, co-hosted by security technologist Gregor Vand, unpacks the technical distinctions and challenges of building a laptop versus a typical DIY computer, delves into battery management, debugging, and the personal inspiration behind Byron’s project.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mission & Philosophy of anyoneE

(01:32 - 07:29)

• Project Name & Inspiration:

  • The name "anyoneE" derives from "anyon," a quantum particle, referencing the idea that "anyone" can build a laptop.
  • Main Mission:

    "It's a project that tries to show that anyone, and hence the name anyone E ... can build a laptop themselves… I wanted to show ... if you put in the effort and ... research, in a few months you can create something that ... feels like a modern thin and light laptop." (01:32, Byron Huang)

  • Focused on making a laptop that’s highly repairable, open (hardware and software), and as integrated as commercial models, disproving the industry narrative that integration must mean lack of repairability.

• Distinctions from Traditional DIY Builds:

  • Unlike assembling off-the-shelf components (e.g., desktops), Byron designed every circuit, selected every component, and created custom PCBs and chassis.
  • Emphasizes open hardware and documentation—giving others the ability to inspect, modify, and build upon the project.

2. Technical Design Distinctions & Challenges

(07:29 - 20:30)

• Challenge: Achieving performance and integration similar to commercial laptops (like MacBook Pros) while keeping full repairability and openness.
• Technical Approach:
  • Custom aluminum chassis milled to near-consumer standards.
  • Selected a 4K AMOLED display for premium visuals.
  • All schematics, PCB designs, and 3D models are open source and available online, fostering learning and iteration by the community.
  • Created unique, modular components, e.g., magnetically attached, wireless, ultra-thin mechanical keyboard for instant access and easier repairs.

"My mission was to be able to create something that's really integrated ... but everything is replaceable … and since all the circuit boards, all the software is open and all the hardware is open as well, you can ... build your own spin to it." (03:26-06:07, Byron Huang)

3. System-on-a-Chip (SoC) Decision and Display Engineering

(11:13 - 21:37)

• Choosing the SoC:

  • Selected the Rockchip RK3588 SoC for performance, openness (no NDA-laden restrictions like Intel/AMD), and community support.
  • Used a System-on-Module (SOM) for manageable integration and faster prototyping.

• Display & Signal Integrity:

  • Encountered significant challenges with embedded DisplayPort (eDP)—a largely undocumented protocol.
  • Solved two months of "black box" debugging by iteratively shortening PCB traces and improving connector choices, ultimately getting the 4K AMOLED screen operational.

"It was two months of just black box debugging ... I didn't have a scope to probe [3-5GHz] signals ... I made a second revision with a few theories ... in the end it did work. So I'm happy that my gamble paid off." (14:45-20:22, Byron Huang)

4. Key Features: Modular Wireless Keyboard & Priorities

(21:37 - 27:28)

• Focused on three main features:
  • RK3588 SoC for performance.
  • Ultra-thin, wireless, magnetically-attached mechanical keyboard—doubles as a standard Bluetooth keyboard for any device.
  • Ultra-high-quality 4K AMOLED display.
• Enhanced modularity for repair and hacking access.

"You can pop off the keyboard and every single piece of the electronics is exposed directly to you. Of course, that brings ... some danger ... But ... from a purely engineering repairability standpoint, no screws needed…" (23:05-24:24, Byron Huang)

5. Battery Management & Embedded Controller Firmware

(27:28 - 34:35)

• Custom Battery Firmware:
  • Implemented a battery management system using an ESP32 S3 microcontroller.
  • Entire charging logic coded in Arduino C, for maximum accessibility and readability.
  • Real-time state machine tracks battery charge, health, and charging parameters.
  • Learned the importance of open-source embedded controller firmwares (e.g., Chromium EC), which he plans to incorporate in future revisions.

“If you short your batteries or if you, if you write some wrong code, your batteries will literally blow up… I had to keep track of every single state of the batteries…” (30:35-31:58, Byron Huang)

6. Debugging with Limited Resources

(34:59 - 38:59)

• Lacked high-end diagnostic equipment; relied on basic microcontrollers, a small oscilloscope, and "by feel" engineering judgment.
• Hardware debugging is much slower than software due to PCB ordering and iteration times.
• Emphasized the importance of intuition for splitting software/hardware root causes.

“My take is that it’s really by feel… is it a hardware problem or is it a software problem? … I always keep this mental track of where my biggest failure points are.” (35:23-36:39, Byron Huang)

7. Reception, Community, and Next Steps

(38:59 - 46:57)

• Open Source Impact:
  • Surpassed expectations: Hacker News post became the second-highest voted “Show HN" ever (after an old glitch).
  • Video nearing 1 million YouTube views.
  • Attracted interest from the tech community, offers from companies like iFixit, Neuralink, and Framework.
• Philosophy:
  • Importance is on learning, experimentation, and sharing; not on beating commercial laptops in performance.
• Next Steps:
  • Funding and support now available for future, more manufacturable, and possibly more powerful revisions.
  • Committed to keeping all work open source and accessible.

“My laptop only costs around $1,500 ... building it costs a lot more, R&D cost a total of $5,000, but even then ... that's so much less than the $5 billion ... of Apple.” (44:44-45:15, Byron Huang)

8. Commercialization & Future Plans

(46:57 - 51:36)

• Commercial Possibilities:

  • Not ruling out the prospect of selling kits or finished laptops, but current design isn’t mass-producible.
  • More interested in enabling easy builds for individuals than becoming a large-scale manufacturer.

• Personal Path:

  • Open to attending college but undecided, excited by engineering for good causes (e.g., Neuralink, Framework).
  • Upcoming projects include building the world’s lightest wireless mouse.

9. Sources of Inspiration

(51:36 - 53:18)

• Cites Steve Jobs, as well as contemporary tech creators (Linus Tech Tips, Jeff Geerling, Stuff Made Here, Veritasium, Lewis Rossman) as key influences.
  • Values the online sharing of technical knowledge and the vibrant open-source hardware community.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On openness and integration:

  “...disprove that technology is either open or closed and integrated or ... not tightly packed together ... I really disagree ... I think it's just a lack of trying, a lack of engineering effort, might I say.” (03:26-04:36, Byron Huang)

• Technical perseverance:

  “It was two months of just black box debugging ... in the end it did work. So I'm happy that my gamble paid off.” (20:15-20:30, Byron Huang)

• On community response:

  “I never thought that so much would happen. ... iFixit commented, Lewis Rossman, Linus ... Linus Tech Tips ... I’m super excited to present myself with Linus and show even more people the ability to create and innovate ... by yourself.” (42:04-43:38, Byron Huang)

• Perspective on engineering and learning:

  “You can learn like knowledge and a bunch of super cool things from building it yourself. ... the knowledge part is what's truly priceless.” (44:54-45:20, Byron Huang)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introducing the mission & anyoneE: 01:32–07:29
• Open vs. Closed Hardware; Design approach: 03:26–06:07
• Hands-on engineering – PCB, chassis, integration: 06:07–11:13
• System on Chip selection & tradeoffs: 11:13–14:45
• Display debugging as pivotal challenge: 14:45–20:30
• Wireless keyboard design & modularity: 21:37–24:24
• Custom battery management: 27:28–33:55
• Debugging process with limited equipment: 34:59–38:59
• Community and project impact: 38:59–46:57
• Commercialization and future vision: 46:57–51:36
• Inspirations: 51:36–53:18

Closing Thoughts

Byron’s journey demonstrates what is possible when passion for engineering, a drive for transparency, and the ethos of open source combine—even before college, with modest resources. This episode isn’t just a technical showcase, but an inspiration for engineers and makers to challenge industry norms and share their work openly. Byron’s humility, willingness to learn (and to fail), and commitment to community knowledge-sharing resonated throughout the conversation.

“As long as I’m doing open source hardware engineering, I plan on having as much of it done from scratch and released openly for free as I can ... just trying to have people being able to learn and access the things I make.” (45:45-46:20, Byron Huang)